May 24
Events *1218 - The Fifth Crusade leaves Acre for Egypt. *1276 - Magnus Ladulås crowned King of Sweden in Uppsala Cathedral. *1487 - Imposter Lambert Simnel is crowned as "King Edward VI" at Dublin. *1595 - Nomenclator of Leiden University Library appears, the first printed catalog of an institutional library. *1621 - Protestant Union formally dissolved. *1626 - Peter Minuit buys Manhattan. *1689 - The English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration protecting Protestants (Roman Catholics are intentionally excluded). *1738 - John Wesley is converted, essentially launching the Methodist movement; the day is celebrated annually by Methodists as Aldersgate Day. *1798 - Irish Rebellion of 1798 led by the United Irishmen against British rule begins. *1822 - Battle of Pichincha: Antonio José de Sucre secures the independence of the Presidency of Quito. *1830 - Mary had a little lamb by Sarah Hale is published. * 1830 - The first revenue trains in the United States begin service on the Baltimore and Ohio Rail Road between Baltimore and Ellicott's Mills. *1832 - The First Kingdom of Greece is declared in the London Conference. *1844 - Samuel F. B. Morse sent the message "What hath God wrought" (a Bible quotation, Numbers 23:23) from the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the United States Capitol to his assistant, Alfred Vail, in Baltimore. *1846 - Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey. *1856 - John Brown and his men murder five slavery supporters at Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas. *1861 - American Civil War: Union troops occupy Alexandria. *1881 - Turkey cedes Thessaly and Arta back to Greece. *1883 - The Brooklyn Bridge in New York is opened to traffic after 14 years of construction. *1893 - The Niagara Falls Park and River Railway opens in Ontario. *1895 - Henry Irving becomes the first personage from the theatre to be knighted. *1899 - The first public parking garage in the United States is opened in Boston. *1900 - Second Boer War: The United Kingdom annexes the Orange Free State. *1901 - 78 miners die in Caerphilly pit disaster in South Wales. *1911 - The New York Public Library opened. *1915 - World War I: Italy declares war on Austria-Hungary. *1921 - The trial of Sacco and Vanzetti opens. *1929 - The Cocoanuts, the first film to star the Marx Brothers, opens. *1930 - Amy Johnson lands in Darwin, becoming the first woman to fly from England to Australia (she left on May 5 for the 11,000 mile flight). *1935 - Crosley Field in Cincinnati, hosts major-league baseball's first night game ever as the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 2-1. *1940 - Igor Sikorsky performs the first successful single-rotor helicopter flight. *1941 - World War II: In the North Atlantic, the [[Wikipedia:German battleship Bismarck|German Battleship Bismarck]] sinks the [[Wikipedia:HMS Hood (51)|HMS Hood]] killing all but three crewmen on what was the pride of the Royal Navy. *1943 - Holocaust: Josef Mengele becomes chief medical officer in Auschwitz concentration camp. *1949 - The Soviet Union ends the 11-month Berlin Blockade. *1952 - Meher Baba and followers suffer auto accident in Prague. *1956 - The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland and is won by the host nation. * 1956 - Conclusion of the Sixth Buddhist Council on Vesak Day, marking the 2,500 year anniversary after the Lord Buddha's Parinibbāna. *1958 - United Press International is formed through a merger of the United Press and the International News Service. *1961 - American civil rights movement: Freedom Riders are arrested in Jackson for "disturbing the peace" after disembarking from their bus. * 1961 - Cyprus enters the Council of Europe. *1962 - Project Mercury: American astronaut Scott Carpenter orbits the Earth three times in the Aurora 7 space capsule. *1968 - Students set fire to the Paris bourse. * 1968 - FLQ separatists bomb the U.S. consulate in Quebec City. *1970 - The drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole begins in the USSR *1973 - Earl Jellicoe resigns as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the Lords. *1975 - A group of 80 reporters and cameramen are the first Westerners allowed to leave Saigon in South Vietnam since it fell to communist forces on April 29. *1976 - London to Washington Concorde service begins. *1980 - The International Court of Justice calls for the release of United States embassy hostages in Tehran. The hostages would not be freed until the following January. *1981 - First International Women's Day for Disarmament. *1982 - Liberation of Khorramshahr, Iranians recapture of the port city of Khorramshahr from the Iraqis during Iran-Iraq War *1988 - Section 28 is passed as law by Parliament in the United Kingdom. *1989 - Sonia Sutcliffe, wife of the Yorkshire Ripper, is awarded a six-figure sum in damages after winning a libel action against Private Eye. *1990 - A car carrying American Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney explodes in Oakland, critically injuring both. *1991 - Israel conducts Operation Solomon, evacuating Ethiopian Jews to Israel. *1992 - The last Thai dictator, General Suchinda Kraprayoon, resigns following pro-democracy protests. *1993 - Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia. * 1993 - Microsoft unveils Windows NT. *1994 - Four men convicted of bombing New York's World Trade Center in 1993 are each sentenced to 240 years in prison. *1999 - Venezuela enters the Antarctic Treaty System. *2000 - Israeli troops withdraw from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation. *2001 - Mountain climbing: 15-year-old Sherpa Temba Tsheri becomes the youngest person to climb to the top of Mount Everest. * 2001 - The Versailles wedding hall collapse in Jerusalem, Israel, kills 23 and injures over 200 in Israel's worst-ever civil disaster. * 2001 - The Democrats gain control of the U.S. Senate for the first time since 1994 when Senator James Jeffords of Vermont abandons the Republican Party and declares himself an independent. *2002 - Russia and the United States sign the Moscow Treaty. Births *15 BC - Julius Caesar Germanicus, Roman commander (d. 19) *1494 - Pontormo, Italian painter (d. 1557) *1522 - John Jewel, English bishop (d. 1571) *1544 - William Gilbert, English natural philosopher (d. 1603) *1616 - John Maitland (d. 1682) *1671 - Gian Gastone de' Medici (d. 1737) *1686 - Gabriel Fahrenheit, inventor and thermometer maker (d. 1736) *1689 - Daniel Finch, English politician (d. 1769) *1743 - Jean-Paul Marat, French revolutionary (d. 1793) *1794 - William Whewell, English scientist, philosopher, and historian of science (d. 1866) *1803 - Alexander von Nordmann, Finnish zoologist (d. 1866) *1810 - Charles Clark, Governor of Mississippi (d. 1877) * 1810 - Abraham Geiger, German rabbi and scholar (d. 1874) *1816 - Emanuel Leutze, German-born painter (d. 1868) *1819 - Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (d. 1901) *1830 - Alexei Savrasov, Russian painter (d. 1897) *1836 - Joseph Rowntree, British social reformer (d. 1925) *1854 - John Riley Banister, American law officer and cowboy (d. 1918) *1855 - Arthur Wing Pinero, English playwright (d. 1934) *1863 - George Grey Barnard, American sculptor (d. 1938) *1868 - Charles E. Taylor, First aircraft maintenance professional (d. 1956) *1870 - Benjamin Cardozo, American jurist (d. 1938) * 1870 - Jan Christiaan Smuts, Prime Minister of South Africa (d. 1950) *1878 - Lillian Moller Gilbreth, American engineer (d. 1972) *1879 - H. B. Reese, American inventor of Reese's and founder (d. 1956) *1886 - Paul Paray, French conductor and composer (d. 1979) *1891 - William F. Albright, American archeologist and Biblical scholar (d. 1971) *1899 - Suzanne Lenglen, French tennis player (d. 1938) * 1899 - Henri Michaux, French poet (d. 1984) *1900 - Lionel Conacher, Canadian athlete and politician (d. 1954) * 1900 - Eduardo De Filippo, Italian actor and screenwriter (d. 1984) *1901 - José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (d. 1968) *1905 - Michail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1984) *1909 - Wilbur Mills, American politician (d. 1992) *1911 - Barbara West, The oldest living survivor of the Titanic disaster *1914 - Lilli Palmer, German-born actress (d. 1986) * 1914 - Giuseppe Valdengo, Italian baritone *1916 - Roden Cutler, Australian diplomat and war hero (d. 2002) *1923 - Siobhán McKenna, Irish actress (d. 1986) *1925 - Mai Zetterling, Swedish-born entertainer (d. 1994) *1926 - Stanley Baxter, Scottish actor *1928 - William Trevor, Irish writer *1930 - Hans-Martin Linde, German conductor *1931 - Michael Lonsdale, French actor *1934 - Jane Byrne, Mayor of Chicago * 1934 - Barry Rose, English choir-trainer and organist *1935 - Joan Micklin Silver, American director *1936 - Harold Budd, American musician *1938 - Tommy Chong, Canadian-born actor and comedian *1940 - Joseph Brodsky, Russian-born poet, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1996) *1941 - Bob Dylan, American singer and songwriter *1943 - Gary Burghoff, American actor *1944 - Patti LaBelle, American singer *1945 - Priscilla Presley, American actress *1946 - Irena Kirszenstein-Szewinska, Russian-born Polish athlete *1949 - Jim Broadbent, English actor *1950 - Larry Seidlin, American judge *1953 - Alfred Molina, London-born Spanish-Italian actor *1955 - Rosanne Cash, American singer *1956 - Michael Jackson, Northern Irish clergyman *1959 - Pelle Lindbergh, Swedish professional goaltender (d. 1985) *1960 - Kristin Scott Thomas, English actress * 1960 - Guy Fletcher, British keyboardist (Dire Straits) *1962 - Gene Anthony Ray, American actor (d. 2003) * 1962 - Mo Willems, American author and screenwriter *1963 - Ivan Capelli, Italian racing driver * 1963 - Michael Chabon, American author * 1963 - Joe Dumars, American basketball player * 1963 - Kathy Leander, Swiss singer * 1963 - Rich Rodriguez, American football coach *1964 - Adrian Moorhouse, British swimmer * 1964 - Pat Verbeek, Canadian ice hockey player *1965 - John C. Reilly, American actor * 1965 - Shinichiro Watanabe, Japanese anime director *1966 - Eric Cantona, French footballer * 1966 - Ricky Craven, American NASCAR driver *1967 - Carlos Hernández, baseball player * 1967 - Steve McDonald, American bassist (Redd Kross) *1969 - Rich Robinson, American musician (Black Crowes) *1970 - Tommy Page, American singer *1971 - Kris Draper, Canadian ice hockey player (Detroit Red Wings) *1972 - Greg Berlanti, American television writer and producer *1973 - Bartolo Colón, Dominican Major League Baseball player * 1973 - Dermot O'Leary, English television presenter * 1973 - Ruslana, Ukrainian singer *1974 - Will Sasso, MADtv actor and comedian *1975 - Marc Gagnon, Canadian short track speed skater * 1975 - Yannis Goumas, Greek footballer *1976 - Alessandro Cortini, Italian musician * 1976 - Catherine Cox, Australian netballer *1978 - Brian Ching, American soccer player * 1978 - Bryan Greenberg, American actor *1979 - Tracy McGrady, American basketball player * 1979 - Frank Mir, former UFC Heavyweight Champion *1980 - Cecilia Cheung, Hong Kong actress and singer *1981 - Marketa Janska, Czech model and Playboy Playmate of the month July 2003 *1982 - Issah Ahmed, Ghana football player * 1984 - Sarah Hagan, American actress * 1984 - Brodney Pool, American football player *1985 - Tim Bridgman, British racing driver *1986 - Jordan Metcalfe, English actor *1987 - Dominika Kasprzycka, Polish singer * 1987 - Guillaume Latendresse, French Canadian ice hockey player *1988 - Billy Gilman, American singer *1989 - Tara Correa-McMullen, American actress (d. 2005) *1990 - Luke Temple, American concert pianist *1991 - Erika Umeda, Japanese singer *1995 - Prince Joseph Wenzel of Liechtenstein Deaths *1153 - King David I of Scotland (b. 1084) *1351 - Abu al-Hasan 'Ali, Sultan of Morocco *1425 - Murdoch Stewart, Scottish politician (b. 1362) *1456 - Ambroise de Loré, French military commander (b. 1396) *1543 - Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer (b. 1473) *1612 - Robert Cecil, English statesman (b. 1563) *1627 - Luis de Góngora, Spanish poet (b. 1561) *1725 - Jonathan Wild, English criminal (b. 1682) *1734 - Georg Ernst Stahl, German physician and chemist (b. 1660) *1749 - Graf Valentin Potocki, Polish nobleman *1792 - George Brydges Rodney, British naval officer (b. 1718) *1806 - John Campbell, British field marshal (b. 1723) *1843 - Sylvestre François Lacroix, French mathematician (b. 1765) *1861 - Elmer E. Ellsworth, American Civil War officer (b. 1837) *1872 - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, German painter (b. 1794) *1879 - William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist and publisher (b. 1805) *1881 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (b. 1805) *1883 - Abdel Kadir, Algerian leader (b. 1808) *1919 - Amado Nervo, Mexican poet (b. 1870) *1945 - Robert Ritter von Greim, German field marshal (b. 1892) *1947 - C. F. Ramuz, Swiss writer (b. 1878) *1948 - Jacques Feyder, Belgian director and screenwriter (b. 1885) *1949 - Aleksey Shchusev, Russian architect (b. 1873) *1950 - Archibald Wavell, British general (b. 1883) *1959 - John Foster Dulles, United States Secretary of State (b. 1888) *1963 - Elmore James, American musician (b. 1918) *1969 - Willy Ley, German-born rocket scientist (b. 1906) *1974 - Duke Ellington, American composer and musician (b. 1899) *1984 - Vincent J. McMahon, American pro wrestling promoter (b. 1914) *1991 - Gene Clark, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (b. 1944) * 1991 - Miriam di San Servolo, Italian actress (b. 1912) *1992 - Hitoshi Ogawa, Japanese racing driver (b. 1956) *1995 - Harold Wilson, British politician (b. 1916) *1997 - Edward Mulhare, Irish actor (b. 1923) *1999 - Owen Hart, Professional Wrestler (b.1965) *2000 - Kurt Schork, American reporter (b. 1947) *2002 - Wallace Markfield, American writer (b. 1926) *2003 - Rachel Kempson, English actress (b. 1910) *2004 - Henry Ries, American photographer (b. 1917) * 2004 - Milton Shulman, Canadian author and critic (b. 1913) * 2004 - Edward Wagenknecht, American literary critic (b. 1900) *2005 - Carl Amery, German writer (b. 1922) * 2005 - Arthur Haulot, Belgian journalist (b. 1913) * 2005 - Vivian Liberto, first wife of Johnny Cash (b. 1934) *2006 - Henry Bumstead, American art director (b. 1915) * 2006 - Michał Życzkowski, Polish technician (b. 1930) *2007 - Bill Johnston, Australian cricket player (b. 1922) Holidays and observances * Canada: Victoria Day, on this date if it falls on a Monday or the Monday before it. In Quebec, it is known as National Patriotes Day (Journée nationale des patriotes). In some provinces, the holiday is often referred to as "May Two-Four," -- a "two-four" being slang for a case of beer with 24 bottles or cans. *Saints Cyril and Methodius Day in Eastern Orthodox tradition. In addition, the following secular observances are recognized, in the association with the works of Cyril and Methodius Day **Bulgaria: Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day **Republic of Macedonia (FYROM): Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners' Day **Russia: Slavonic Literature and Culture Day * Bermuda: Bermuda Day. * Eritrea: National Day. * Aldersgate Day (Methodism). *China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and South Korea: Buddha's Birthday Liturgical feasts *Saint Amaël *Saint Suzanna *Mary * Saint Sarah is celebrated in Camargue, France by the Roma people (or Gypsies). External links * BBC: On This Day * * On This Day in Canada ---- Category:May